[You have acquired a new industry. Please open the restaurant panel to view!]
Ina opened the restaurant panel:
Dragon Flame restaurant
Branches: None
Industries: Farm (Bathtub Farm), Ranch (Chicken Coop - 50% ownership of Frank's Chicken Coop), Forest (None), Fishpond (None)
Level: 1
Experience Points (affected by revenue and number of customers served): 634/1000
Achievement Points: 807
Reputation: 0
Current Funds: -1 gold coin, 7 silver coins, 25 copper coins
Decorations: Small Town Ambiance, Imitation Stone Fireplace
The achievement points were growing rapidly, mainly due to the three daily tasks: preparing a dish, selling a dish, and serving a customer who has dined at the restaurant at least twice. Each task provided 20 achievement points. In addition, she had completed a side quest 1-2: Harvest 100 times from the restaurant's farm, earning 500 achievement points.
The funds looked a bit pitiful though. To buy half the ownership of the chicken coop, she now had a Debt. However, the restaurant had gained a new industry, and she received 500kg of chicken feed as a reward. The transaction was worth it.
Frank and Dusì were waiting for Ina's next move. It was clear that Ina didn't just want half of the chicken coop – she had a more long-term goal in mind.
Ina put away the restaurant panel with a friendly smile, "Since I am now also an owner of the chicken coop, let's discuss the future development of the coop together!"
"My suggestion is expansion."
Dusì frowned in disagreement. Expanding the chicken coop would mean that Frank would have to spend more time in the Miye Swamp searching for food for the flock, which contradicted her original intention.
Before Dusì could object, Ina already put forth an enticing offer: "I'll provide feed for the chickens, while you focus on expanding the chicken coop, breeding chicks, maintaining cleanliness, and keeping the chickens healthy."
Frank was indeed attracted. He had been doing these tasks every day, and they were not particularly difficult. If he could avoid the task of finding food, he could take better care of the chicks. Additionally, the money saved on purchasing feed would significantly increase their chicken farming profits.
Ina's guarantees did not stop there: "I will buy all unsold eggs and roosters at market price. Of course, I will also have half of the final profit, as we jointly own the chicken coop."
Frank was stunned by this unexpected windfall, while Dusì remained rational and discussed the details with Ina.
In the end, she had to admit that they were the ones who would profit. According to Ina's proposal, she would provide feed and Frank would contribute labor, effectively canceling out each other's costs. When it came time to split the profits, they would simply divide the sales revenue from the eggs and roosters in half, without deducting the costs of feed and labor.
Even if Dusì believed that her father was dedicated to the chicken coop and his labor should be acknowledged, she had to admit that the cost of feed was higher, giving them the advantage.
Ina didn't want to quibble over such minor details, nor did she care if she owned 40% or 60% of the chicken coop. She aimed to own countless industries and never intended to compete with the struggling father-daughter duo for such small gains. As long as she could temporarily influence the future development of the chicken coop, that would be enough.
As for the cost of chicken feed, even without the 500kg reward from the system, she had other solutions. The system didn't restrict her from leaving Misty Town, and the dangerous environment or long journey was no problem for her. She could go to towns with cheaper grain prices to buy and bring it back. Her backpack had 500 slots, with a stacking limit of 99 per slot. There was no concern about not being able to bring back enough food for feed.
Both parties were pleased, and collaboration was established. Ina immediately invited Frank and Dusì to her restaurant for a celebratory meal.
The lunch menu at the restaurant had only one dish: Roasted Giant-Tooth Rabbit.
In the backyard of the Dragon Flame restaurant, a roasting grill was set up. Orange flames licked the marinated rabbit meat, as Lusen carefully sprinkled rosemary, fine salt, cumin powder, and a hint of chili powder. Before long, the aroma of the meat mixed with the unique spiciness of the seasonings wafted through the air.
After roasting for a while, the rabbit's skin exuded oil. Occasionally, the sizzling sound of solidified oil droplets falling into the fire could be heard.
The wind carried the aroma even further, drawing mercenaries and villagers alike.
A villager exclaimed in amazement, "They used so many spices; no wonder I could smell it as soon as I opened the window at home. My homemade grilled sausages don't smell nearly as good."
Another knowledgeable mercenary remarked, "This giant-tooth rabbit is less than a meter long and its teeth show little wear, so it shouldn't be more than two years old. This is the best time for the meat to be tender. I had one before, but I didn't dare to roast it in the swamp and wasn't willing to use so many spices. The giant-tooth rabbit I brought out had been dead for several days and didn't taste as good as this one."
The rabbit meat was ready. Ina took a slice to taste it. The meat was tender with a slight chewiness. Combined with Lusen's constant flipping during the roasting process, the meat was cooked perfectly, neither gamey nor tough, with a subtle hint of sweetness.
Ina's dagger flashed brightly as she sliced several plates of roasted rabbit meat, which Lusen brought to Frank, Dusì, and the other customers in the tavern. The onlookers also got to try two skewered pieces of rabbit meat, which they chewed eagerly, savoring the flavors before swallowing. Feeling unsatisfied, they turned and went inside the tavern to order a whole plate.
Soon, the giant-tooth rabbit on the grill was reduced to a mere skeleton. Before the crowd dispersed, someone asked when the next rabbit roast would be.
Ina smiled and said, "The wind will let you know."
———
At night, the mercenary camp in the Misty Swamp.
As the mercenaries munched on hard bread, they discussed the food they had tasted at the Dragon Flame restaurant. Those who had eaten breakfast there praised the seafood soup, while those fortunate enough to taste the roasted rabbit were even more delighted. The taste of the roasted rabbit far exceeded its price, and even in towns with lower food prices, there wouldn't be such generous use of spices and perfect control of heat during roasting.
Simon approached them quietly, "Have you felt warm after eating the food from the Dragon Flame restaurant?"
The mercenaries looked as if it was obvious, "Of course, you'd feel warm after having soup."
Simon quickly corrected, "Not while eating, but after eating for a long time, uh, probably for a day or two, feeling very warm."
Someone smiled subtly, "I think you must have had a fever. How could eating food make you feel warm for several days?"
Simon was puzzled, but he had indeed felt more resistant to the cold than his teammates after eating the boiled fish at the Dragon Flame restaurant, and it lasted for almost two days before returning to normal. Unwilling to accept this, he continued to inquire, "Besides seafood soup and roasted rabbit, have you eaten any food that's fiery red in color and makes your mouth feel like it's burning?"
The other mercenaries were taken aback: Was there such terrifying food?
Simon couldn't get the answer he wanted, which left him more conflicted and puzzled. Once they left Misty Swamp, he decided to bring his teammates to the Dragon Flame restaurant to verify his suspicions.